At times it seems like it’s judges versus competitors or professionals against amateurs,but we all have to work together in dressage for the sport to grow.

When I’m competing in a dressage show, I’ve noticed an odd phenomenon. While riding past the judge at C, it seems all I ever hear is the number 6. I always find this a little disappointing and very disconcerting. Yet, after the class is over and placed, I’m usually hard pressed to find that 6 on my score sheet. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I receive all 7s and higher. There are 5s mixed in, but seldom that 6 I hear so frequently.

In speaking to other competitors, I’ve discovered I’m not the only one hearing imaginary numbers. You think you hear it, but it’s not really being said. It’s symbolic of the relationship that we have with the judges as competitors. We’re always trying to please the judges, but we never have the confidence that we’re succeeding. Sometimes I wonder: Do Anky van Grunsven, Isabell Werth, Steffen Peters or Edward Gal hear that same 6 when they pass the judge’s box?

The relationship between competitors and judges is an interesting one. At the top level both are experts in their field, and I doubt they could easily swap roles. Both may have spent hours on a horse, but it’s the time spent learning one’s craft in and out of the judge’s box and for competitors, in and out of the competition arena, that makes each so good at what they do. I believe there is a mutual respect at the top levels, but what about at the other levels? This is a little trickier.

We not only look to the judges to determine who is the best in the class, but we also look for feedback from their scores and comments on how we are progressing as riders. Of course there is also the important feedback on whether or not our horses are developing correctly in their training. And, the judges have to do it in such a way that the riders want to come back again and again.

Talk about a lot of responsibility! Especially when it can only be based on six to eight minutes of observation. Thanks to an excellent judges’ education program in this country, most of our judges are up to the challenge. At the international level, the Fédération Eques-tre Internationale has created the Judges Supervisory Panel to essentially monitor the judging at major events such as the Olympic Games, World Equestrian Games and World Cup Finals as well as at two to three smaller competitions.

They’ve taken other steps as well, making it a little more rigorous for an FEI judge to maintain a judging license. For one, they must be judging enough to maintain their “eye.” Like our U.S. judges, they must attend forums period-ically as part of their continuing education. Time will tell if the JSP will work as hoped or if it will prove to be too cumbersome. In perhaps a telling example of the different perspectives, it seems that the judges see the JSP as often lowering a judge’s score because the judge gave a score for 15 ones when in fact only 13 were performed. On the other hand, some of the riders think the JSP may actually raise a score because they did 15 ones, and the judge marked them down for doing only 13.

In our country, the U.S. Equestrian Federation, through its various committees and with help from the U.S. Dres-sage Federation, has been looking at score sheets submitted by competitors that have either inappropriate comments or marks that don’t match the comments as a starting point to best determine how to address some of these judging issues. Judging, like riding, will never be perfect. As competitors, while we strive for a 10, we have to remember a 10 is only “excellent.” It’s not perfect. Shouldn’t we give the judges the same consideration?

Amateurs And Professionals Have A Symbiotic Relationship

Another “can’t live with them and can’t live without them” relationship is that of professionals and adult amateurs. When I hear these complaints, I wonder just exactly who are these stereotypical professionals or adult amateurs. As far as I can see, adult amateurs are an extremely diverse group. There are those with day jobs struggling to afford a horse and find time to ride.

At the other end of the spectrum are those who can spend all their time riding and basically do what they like.
We need to embrace them all, while at the same time realizing their needs may be vastly different. There is more truth to the statement that adult amateurs fund our sport than one may realize. Most professionals count on them as customers; amateurs pay a major portion of the dues collected by the USEF and USDF; they are responsible for the majority of the entries in our competitions; they frequently own the horses ridden by our top riders; and they are the largest donors to our team. Including and recognizing their needs is a must.

Then again, professionals play a major role as well. We learn from the good ones. We frequently find our horses through them and go to them for help with training. Continuing education opportunities are as important for our professionals as they are for our judges, or for that matter as they are for any professional in any field. Most of us who compete are comfortable with being critiqued from knowledgeable and experienced judges. The key words are “knowledgeable and experienced,” and so it should be with professionals.

Down the road, we need a more comprehensive licensing program for professionals in order to help riders searching for the right professional make a good choice. As professionals, we need to do all we can to be the best at what we do. Neither group should resent the opportunities given to the other, for in the end all should benefit. The more educated your coach is in how to do his job, ultimately the better you should do. The better educated the customer is in the care of horses and dressage, the easier the job is for the good professionals.

How Will We Grow Dressage?
Our sport is in flux at the moment. As the economy slowly recovers from its low of a few years ago, will dressage continue to grow?

U.S. dressage has seen some incredible highs in the last few years. We held the first FEI World Cup on U.S. soil in Las Vegas in 2005. Then Steffen Peters swept the Grand Prix classes in Aachen (Germany) in 2009, the first U.S. rider to do so. Last year we hosted the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Ky., the first time these Games occurred outside of Europe. Most recently, Steffen broke 80 percent with Ravel at Grand Prix at the Palm Beach edition of the World Dressage Masters on March 10.

At the same time memberships, horse registrations and entries in competitions haven’t returned to previous levels. It seems like the top keeps growing, but the base is dwindling. If this trend continues, how will our sport look over the next 10 years?

We are not alone in asking this question. Germany faces the same issue. In a recent issue of a German online magazine, the German Federation reported declining numbers of riders in Germany and the negative membership growth in its riding clubs (which does include driving and vaulting as well). It seems that the German FN and its affiliates lost in membership this last year the same as they lost in total for the previous five years.

Riders are leaving the sport, and much of the decline is among the youth. The Germans are recognizing they need to do more for this group, and Isabell Werth has mentioned this need in interviews.

We Must All Work Together

Another challenge we are facing as a global community is the challenge of creating and funding our programs. Which program needs money the most? Where do we look for funding, and how do we spend those funds wisely? Only one country that I know of—Holland—has a comprehensive dressage program from the bottom up. While Germany is losing its membership, thanks to the star power of Edward, Anky and the incredible sponsorship of Rabobank, Holland seems to be doing pretty well.

Because of the funding crisis, it’s imperative for the roles of the USEF as our national governing body and the USDF as the dressage affiliate to be clearly defined. We simply can’t afford duplication of effort, and we especially can’t afford to work at cross-purposes.

The same can be said for our other organizations, such as the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation and The Dressage Foundation. Over the years, these have become respected institutions, and they’ve had a major impact on our sport through their fund raising efforts and subsequent funding of programs.

Last June the USEF National and High Performance Dressage Committees, along with the USDF, held a summit to explore these issues. While it only covered a very basic outline of the programs offered by the organizations, it was an initial stab at what I believe are essential discussions between our national federation and an affiliate. In a similar vein, the efforts of individuals and smaller organizations need to work toward a common goal. We will need to be careful not to stifle the creativity that comes through competition. Some competition between the various entities is very good as it encourages thinking outside the box, and we need to encourage that creative thinking. How-ever, as with all relationships, mutual respect is needed in order to strike a balance and not waste precious energy or funds as we move forward.

One thing is certain: We will all have to work together in our various roles. Whether one is a judge (giving 6s as riders go by) or a competitor (not being able to find that 6 on the score sheet), an adult amateur or a professional, we collectively are responsible for the state of dressage and its future.

George Williams is the president of the U.S. Dressage Federation and has served on and chaired numerous committees for the USDF and the U.S. Equestrian Federation. A rider, trainer and coach, training for Havensafe Farm in Middlefield, Ohio, and Wellington, Fla., Williams earned national and international fame with several Grand Prix mounts, including the Chronicle’s 2003 Dressage Horse of the Year, Rocher. He began writing Between Rounds columns in 2010.